Mercedes Moné: podcast appearances and interviews

Mercedes Moné, born Mercedes Justine Kaestner Varnado on January 26, 1992, is an American professional wrestler currently signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW). She performs under the ring name Mercedes Moné and is notable for holding the record for the longest reign in the history of the AEW TBS Championship. Varnado also appears in AEW's partner promotions, including Consejo Mundial de Lucha Libre and New Japan Pro-Wrestling, as well as on the independent circuit. She rose to prominence during her tenure in WWE from 2012 to 2022 where she performed under the ring name Sasha Banks. During her WWE career, she became the only woman to hold championships across major promotions such as WWE, AEW, NJPW, and CMLL. Varnado's wrestling career began in 2010 on the independent circuit, with notable success including winning the Chaotic Wrestling Women's Championship. She signed with WWE in 2012 and initially competed in NXT, where she won the NXT Women's Championship. Her match against Bayley at NXT TakeOver: Respect in 2015 was historically significant as the first women's match to headline an NXT TakeOver event, and at the time, the longest women's match in WWE history. Promoted to WWE's main roster in 2015, she won the Raw Women's Championship five times and was part of groundbreaking moments such as headlining a WWE pay-per-view and participating in the first women's Hell in a Cell match. In 2019, she won the WWE Women's Tag Team Championship with Bayley. She also secured the SmackDown Women's Championship in 2020, earning titles like WWE Women's Grand Slam and Triple Crown Champion, and was named Wrestler of the Year by Sports Illustrated. Varnado made history as the first African American woman to headline WrestleMania in 2021. After departing WWE in 2022 due to creative differences, she debuted in NJPW at Wrestle Kingdom 17 and became IWGP Women's Champion. Following her contract's end in December 2023, she signed with AEW in early 2024, winning the AEW TBS Championship in her debut event and holding it for a record 584 days. Outside wrestling, she portrays the character Koska Reeves in the Disney+ series The Mandalorian.